A Fiat 500 Show Car Birthday Gift For Barbie

TURIN, 5 March, 2009 - Fiat 500 makes headlines once more, as befits an
authentic Made in Italy icon. This time it’s an original Fiat 500
show car dedicated to the most famous fashion doll ever: BarbieŽ. This
exceptional vehicle, created by a partnership between the Fiat Centro Stile
and Mattel, will be given officially to BarbieŽ on 9 March next, at her
fiftieth birthday celebrations in Milan.

It’s a fashionista car but quite tongue-in-cheek and with lots of
charm: just like BarbieŽ herself. The gleaming paintwork resembles varnish
and definitely makes for a shock effect, achieved with deep lacquered
colour using ultra fine aluminium plunged in deep, up-to-the-minute pink.
The seating is upholstered in strikingly soft fabrics: silver laminated
AlcantaraŽ is not only trendy but plush to the touch and its glimmer
bounces as far as the roof panel. Then there are mats enhanced with natural
silk yarn and sleek viscose, not to mention lip glosses in brilliant
colours stored in the glove compartment, plus a LED-decked vanity mirror to
ensure perfect application. And there's more. The car has more features
than a crown has jewels! Crystals sparkle on interior bezels, hubcaps,
outer window mouldings and antenna and even outline the doll’s famed
silhouette on the pillars. Lastly, this Fiat 500 show car also has its own
glossy cover, featuring the distinctive Sixties version of the Fiat 500 and
a BarbieŽ autograph.

The latest Fiat 500 show car will appear in public for the first time on
Monday 9 March, from 6.30pm onwards, when it will race through the
quintessential streets of Milan’s fashion district. BarbieŽ will be
aboard and she’ll have her own special driver: Ken, of course. On
arriving at the entrance to La Rinascente department store, in Piazza
Duomo, BarbieŽ will leave the car and walk the unique pink carpet created
just for her. The band Nena will be playing live in the background,
reviving some of the most famous pop songs from the fifty years of the
legendary fashion doll's existence.

Roberto Giolito, creator of the Fiat 500, had this to say about the
Mattel-Fiat partnership scheme: “All-American Ms BarbieŽ already has
a number of ‘transport solutions’ available, like thundering
GTs and motor homes with endless accessories. So if she’s spotted a
500 and wants one as a gift for this landmark birthday, it’s a signal
typical of modern times that there’s a renewed need for dreaming the
simple things in life, which give so much, allow us to lighten up, thrill
who’s born beautiful or just feels beautiful, but doesn’t have
to prove anything. After all, BarbieŽ already has everything. Sleek BarbieŽ
is a looker, smart enough to listen to everyone, a universal ambassador
opting for a car that never divides but frees everyone from having to
declare their social status. The new 2009 version celebrates her birthday
with a model that offers a better view of the sun and the stars, all the
better for continuing to dream, especially daydreams.”